Connected fastener blank strip



Sept. 8, 1953 J. c. LANG CONNECTED FASTENER BLANK STRIP Filed June 20, 1949 v I I Snventor Jb$ep z Cilargy attorneys Patented Sept. 8, 1953 CDNNEQIEDTFASIENERELANK.STBI? .Ioseplv G; Lana-.Pittsburgh, 2a., assignonto; Biocil:

comcratidna- Iiittshurzh laware Applicationalimezoi 1949, Seflal Nb; 1003214 1 Qlaims- (Cl. di 512');

This invention' relates to: driven. fasteners; theform ofstaples; and is for a fastener Of? the. typedisclosed in my-Patent' No. 1384;475; granted September 11, 1945, and-fonaistripro'f such fass teners' and the methodof-*making the same.

In mypatent above. mentioned, there. is." dis;-.. closed" a fastener-inthe. form of a staple having two legs joined tothe sidesof an intervening headwhich is inthe form at a IOOIJi- The: head? and legs are originallyformed in a. common plane by slitting and expanding a narrow ribbon: of-metal. Inuse; as thelegs of tliez fastenenarei driven; relative movement is effected between: the: legs and the head so that when-thedrivin-g: ofzthe; fastener is completed; the legs are perpendicular to the head; and the-head"presents awide area; forengaging the material through. which the These-fasteners; are some? times referred to astilt-top."-staples, andl'theyr areused for securing roofing-paperto roofs or; siding;, orfor securing shingles to roofs; andi'likeoperations.-

In the patent abovereferred-i to, the ribb .0n1is: slitlongitudinally at regular intervals: down; the: center. Parallel slits arrangedin--staggeredmelas. tion to the: center slits. are provided near: each. edge. These parallel slitsare: each. connected: by: across slit, so that-:thecenter parteof theameta-lr, is transversely sheared between each two ofrjthe'; central longitudinal slits. The strip: on ribbon, after being: thusslit; is progressively; expanded: by opening -up the-center slitsiin. thermanner. described in said' patent,- particularly: Figure:- 3; thereof: Asthe-centenof the stripu's widenedrout; the length of the loop-forming:portionvdeoreases; In the finished eXpanded 'strip; the :head forming; loops ofthe staples are longitudinally; separated-r, one from the other, while the. leg-formin s-edge; portions of the strip remain connected: Whilethe staplesas-thus formed are highlyrsatisfactory for-their intended purpose; the blank:sq:formed;; is:notawell:adapted* for useinzadriving: machine designed to: accept? and? consume a continuous; rowr. of? connected. fasteners. It: was accordingly contemplatedsthatithe:stripas .disclosedzimEigurec 45 31of-Y-the aforesaid patent should be seyerediintm individualtstaplablan-ks :atrthapointyof manulae ture;.andtthat the staples wnuldthembepackaged;

by-zcementingithem:togetherzinafaceetnefacarelae tion: in: the same manner as. other preformed; 50':

staples; Another: difficulty: with such stapleseven assuming thatrtheyr may. be used as a-;con=. nectedstriphf blanks; is that when sozconnectedz the heads must always -have-a predeterminede with: reference to. the length. of. the: legs;

3 mechanism to: be utilized; wh

shorten legs were: desired: in: thee finished staple,

tions.

The present invention: is: for' an; improvement over my aforesaid patent, in. that: the ribbon of? metal; instead of being slitain'. the. manner deescribed in my patent; solasztjo iormza'gseriesi 0ft blanks connected" by the:v legeforming elementsrisz now slit in suchmanner as to leave therheaidforming: elements conneot'edito' one anothen-inithez finished ribbon; whilethe. leg formingg elements:

of each blank are? separated: from. thosei off the: preceding blank; Asrthe headt-formingsloopszaree expanded, the shortening which takes-.splaca in:

compact, practical and: effective: form 101i? driw'n i.

1e allz f: therother; advantages: of the; fastene asri inally formed: are retained: Additio.,nallyz;- since; the;- points; on

is possibieto change the lengt-l'r'of the legs withi out correspondingly changin the size of the head.

form in a: driving t o invention be.more.fully; understood. by reference-- o,- th accompanying; d wingsl 111.. WahiClIi:

Figs lqshcwsztnemanner: ofrblankinggoutlairihw shape is particularly desirable for penetrating hard materials;

Fig. 4a is an being in substantially the plane of'line a-a of Fig.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a finished rastener showing the relation of the legs and head after relative movement through an arc of 90 has been effected between the legs and head;

Fig. 6 shows the manner in which one of the blanks of Fig. 3 may be made with shorter legs,

which is cut away to make the legs shorter;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing the manner of making the blank with a chiselpointed leg; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the staple shown in Fig. '7, but with the head turned 90 to the legs, this view better illustrating the chisel points which are better for nailing certain kinds of materials to certain kinds of decks.

Referring first to Fig. l, a narrow ribbon of metal designated 2, and having the desired thickness, is progressively slit at regular intervals along its longitudinal axis with straight slits 3. Between each pair of slits 3 is a solid body of metal 4. At each side of the slits 3, and in staggered relation thereto, the ribbon of metal is slit longitudinally by sl'ts designated 5, the slits 5 being relatively close to the edge of the strip. Each slit 5 extends from about the mid portion or one of the slits 3 to about the mid portion of the next slit 3, although actually it does not reach clear to the mid portion of either slit. also slit diagonally from one end of each slit 5 outwardly to the free edges of the strip, the diagonal slits being designated 6. The ribbon as thus slit provides along each edge of the metal a succession of leg-forming elements 1 with the free ends of the leg-forming elements being defined by the diagonal slits 6 and with sloping shoulders being formed at 8, where the end of one leg-forming element confronts the point of the next leg-forming element, and where each legiorming element merges into that part of the blank which will ultimately be the head of the staple.

The ribbon of metal as thus slitted may be of any convenient length. As a matter of practice, it is contemplated that the ribbon of metal 2 may be of a length to form a hundred or more staple blanks.

The ribbon of metal as thus slit is then expanded as shown in Fig. 2, by progressively opening up the slits 3 by pushing force or expanders of successively larger diameter therethrough. This is shown in Fig. 2, where at station A, a force of small diameter is making the initial spread of one of the slits 3. force is being thrust through the preceding slit; at station C still a larger force or expander is being thrust through the previously partly expanded loop; at station I) the final force or expanding element is being forced through the next preced- At station B a larger diameter enlarged transverse section through one leg of the staple of Fig.: 4, the section ing blank, and at station E the preceding conipletely formed blank is shown.

As the forces or expanders or the progressivelyincreasing diameters are thrust into the center slits to make the loops progressively wider, it tends to shorten the overall length of the strip. This shortening causes the points of the legs 1 to slide on the inclined shoulders 8. It tends to spread the legs divergently from each loop laterally as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the point of one staple blank slides down and overlaps the leg-forming element of the next-preceding staple. This slipping lengthwise and spreading laterally ;of the points of the respective blanks enables the head-forming parts of the staples to remain connected through the original part 4 or the blank,

notwithstandingthe shortening that then takes place. H The relative displacement of the points of successive legs of the staples as expansion occurs while the heads remain connected, may be contrasted with Fig. 3 of my Patent No. 2,384,475, where the spreading'of the heads of the staples causes the head-forming portions which have been previously cut transversely to move apart longitudinally one with respect to the other. In other words, with the present invention the center-to-center distance of the connected heads decreases and the point-to-shoulder relation of successive leg-forming elements changes, whereasv in my former patent the center-to-center distance of the heads remained constant as expansion occurred and the relation of the leg-forming parts did not change.

Upon completion of the expanding operation, there is produced a succession of blanks in strip form of any desired length, which blank is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows only three connected blanks, but it will be understood that in practice there may be a great number of such blanks in a continuous ribbon. forming portion to having a central loop H, and having the two legs I attached to the head at opposite sides of the head. Each head-forming portion is connected with the preceding one by the original strip of metal designated 4. The points of the legs of one blank are spread outwardly and overlap the shoulders of the preceding blank.

The staples as thus formed may be fed endwise into a stapling machine where the legs of each blank may, for example, be turneddown perpendicularly to the head, while the blank is severed on the dotted line X-X, and after being so bent and severed, the staple can be driven. If desired, the web of metal connecting the heads may have a hole punched therein or be scored or. otherwise weakened to reduce the power required bers as the corresponding parts are in the blank previously described, but it will be noted that the leg-forming elements have been pressed to a slightly V-shape or trough shape, as best seen in Fig. 4a. In Fig. 5 the head and legs of the staple are at right angles to each other, which is the position to which these parts are turned just before or during the driving of the staple.

Each blank has a head This shaping of the points can be effected in the successive blanks during the slitting and expanding of the strip, and without requiring that the blanks be separated from one It will thus be seen that leg of any desired length to be provided previously described, and corresponding reference numerals are again used to indicate the corresponding parts. Here again, however, the original point of the staple has been cut off, and in its stead a chisel-like point I2 is provided limited to such specific shape and method and may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A connected series of fastener blanks in the form of a metal ribbon, each blank having 2. A connected series of fastener blanks in the form of a metal ribbon, each blank having an expanded head portion formed by slitting the metal lengthwise of the strip andstretching it crosswise of the strip into the form of a loop, diametrically opposed portions of adjacent heads being connected together along the longitudinal axis of the strip by a narrow web of metal adapted to be severed to separate the blanks, a leg connected to each side of the loop on a diameter extending transversely of the strip, the leg-formeach blank extending lengthwise of the strip and having pointed ends separated from the adjoining blanks, and the leg-forming pointed ends.

past and overlapping the attached ends of the leg portions of the next adjacent blank.

JOSEPH C. LANG. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 727,248 Winters May 5, 1903 1,614,831 Crofoot Jan. 18, 1927 1,727,574 Tibbals Sept. 10, 1929 2,072,125 Novick Mar. 2, 1937 2,125,211 Vogel -2. July 26, 1938 2,128,443 Vogel Aug. 30, 1938 2,242,967 Carlile May 20, 1941 2,302,559 La Place Nov. 17, 1942 2,383,135 -Lang Aug. 21, 1945 2,384,475 Lang Sept. 11, 1945 

